Library Guides: Catholic Studies: Background Information

Overview of Catholic Studies

The field of Catholic Studies critically examines Roman Catholicism’s contributions to our intellectual, social, political, and cultural life. It is inter-disciplinary, encompassing disciplines such as anthropology, history, philosophy, political science, sociology, theology, and other disciplines.

Catholic Studies is inter-disciplinary. Related subjects include: Anthropology, philosophy, political science, sociology, and theology and religion.

News and Popular Press

Popular press resources such as newspapers and magazines are expert but non-scholarly sources that report basic facts and offer opinions. One benefit of these sources is that they are printed shortly after an event, but they do not reach the level of analysis necessary for scholarly work.

National Catholic Reporter
Provides an independent voice for Catholics and people of faith, reporting on church issues and social concerns to inform and inspire, while providing avenues for expression of diverse perspectives, promoting tolerance and respect for differing ideas.

Dictionaries & Encyclopedias

Dictionaries are most often collections of words in one or more specific languages, usually arranged in alphabetical order, providing information like word meanings, usage, etymology, and, when they contain more than one language, translations. Some dictionaries include information more commonly found in encyclopedias. Encyclopedias are collections of information on terms, figures, eras, locations also arranged alphabetically, and, alongside definitions of terms, they also include more in-depth general information on a topic. Encyclopedias can be general or subject-specific.

Database of Latin Dictionaries This link opens in a new window
The aim of the database is not only to integrate different types of Latin dictionaries, whether modern, medieval or early-modern, but also to build in links between these different tools. Where the dictionaries provide Latin terms and vernacular equivalents or explanations (whether in contemporary or historic forms of English, French or German), searches will be possible on both the Latin lemmata and the English, French or German lemmata. All Latin word-forms that appear concretely in texts will have a link to entries in relevant dictionaries and from there the user can go and read the selected dictionary entry. The database will continue to grow gradually and will comprise three kinds of dictionaries: dictionaries to assist translation from Latin into modern languages, dictionaries providing semantic and etymological explanations in Latin of Latin words historical Latin dictionaries.

Oxford Dictionary of Popes
This fascinating dictionary gives concise accounts of every officially recognized pope in history, from St Peter to Pope Benedict XVI, as well as all of their irregularly elected rivals, the so-called antipopes.
Oxford Dictionary of Saints
First published in 1978, the Oxford Dictionary of Saints offers more than 1,700 fascinating and informative entries covering the lives, cults, and artistic associations of saints from around the world, from the famous to the obscure, the rich to the poor, and the academic to the uneducated.

New Catholic encyclopedia This link opens in a new window
This 15 volume, second edition features revised and new articles. Among the 12,000 entries in the encyclopedia are articles on theology, philosophy, history, literary figures, saints, musicians and much more.
New Catholic encyclopedia : jubilee volume, the Wojtyła years This link opens in a new window
A scholarly supplement to the New Catholic Encyclopedia that focuses on the pontificate of John Paul II and includes thematic essays presenting the man and his work.
New Catholic Encyclopedia. Supplement 2009 This link opens in a new window
A supplement to the New Catholic Encyclopedia that focuses on the theme of science and the church.

New Catholic Encyclopedia. Supplement 2010
This supplement focuses on the Church in Modern History, particularly WWII and after. It also includes about 200 entries on the men and women who have been beatified or canonized since 2003.
New Catholic Encyclopedia. Supplement 2011
This supplement covers the areas of art, music and literature. It includes articles written by specialists and scholars, bios of the beatified and canonized since 2010 as well as entries on other relevant current Catholic issues, events and topics, such as: Internet and the Church, Pope Benedict XVI, popular culture, sex abuse crisis, television and Catholicism, and women artists and Catholic art.
New Catholic Encyclopedia. Supplement 2012-2013
This supplement covers a wide range of topics including ethics, metaphysics, epistemology, logic, aesthetics, philosophy of literature, art, and music, political philosophy, and philosophy of law. It contains numerous articles of special interest to Catholic thought and culture covering such areas as the philosophical aspects of love, hope, wisdom, marriage, friendship, death, pain and suffering, the human person and the human soul, and the philosophy of God and religion.

Biography

Biography provides a description of a person's life, detailing the basic facts like birth and death, education, family background, etc. but also portraying the individual subject's experience of those life events.

Book of Remembrance
Presents brief biographies of approximately 1,900 Catholic clergy and laity repressed by the Soviet regime under Lenin and Stalin. The biographies were compiled by Irina Osipova and Fr. Bronisƚaw Czaplicki, published by the Apostolic Administration for Catholics of North European Russia, and translated from Russian by Geraldine Kelley.

Directories and Almanacs

Directories are organized collections of information—typically lists of information about people, places, and their organizational connections. Almanacs represent annual calendars containing important dates and statistical information.

Official Catholic Directory
Considered as successor to the Catholic laity's directory to the Church service (1817), the Laity's directory to the church service (1822), and Sadliers' Catholic directory, almanac and ordo (1833-96). Containing ecclesiastical statistics of the United States, Alaska, Philippine Islands, the Canal Zone, Puerto Rico, Hawaiian Islands, Cuba, Canada, Newfoundland, Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales, the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, Central America, the German Empire, the United States of Mexico and the West Indies." (Varies)
Our Sunday Visitor's Catholic Almanac
The most complete one-volume source of facts and information on the Catholic Church.

Catholic Studies

Catholic Studies Librarian

Overview of Catholic Studies

Other Related Guides

News and Popular Press

Dictionaries & Encyclopedias

Biography

Directories and Almanacs